The West wants to draw Belarus according to its own patterns, said on Sunday, August 23, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov during his speech at the “Territory of Meanings” forum.
The diplomat recalled the mediation of the West in Ukraine, starting with the elections in 2004 and ending in 2014.
“The incapacity of our western partners to negotiate is a rather serious fact that we have to take into account, and not only we. And now, when they are trying to draw Belarus according to their own patterns and offer their mediation <...> Of course, we will not be against any decision that the Belarusian leadership will take regarding dialogue with its population, but when the West says that only mediation with the participation of Western countries will be effective, everyone has a fresh memory, as it was in Ukraine, where Western mediation turned into a complete incapacity for our partners, “RIA Novosti quoted him as saying.
A day earlier, President of Belarus Alexander Lukashenko spoke at a rally in Grodno in front of his supporters. He accused Western countries of open interference in the country’s affairs and noted the increase in military activity at the border. The head of the Belarusian state also added that the Western countries and the opposition want to “drag” the “new president” to Belarus.
According to him, Western neighbors are also behind the protests in the republic. In addition, Lukashenka ordered an immediate response to violations of the borders of Belarus.
On August 9, presidential elections were held in Belarus, in which Lukashenka won with a score of 80.1%. Opposition candidate Svetlana Tikhanovskaya gained about 10%. After that, protest actions continue in the country. The opposition, in particular, is demanding new elections. Tikhanovskaya herself left for Lithuania. The EU countries, Canada and the United States have already declared non-recognition of the election results and threatened Lukashenko with sanctions.